The Right Kind of Wrong
by Naomilyloveless
Summary: Erica never left, she and Callie are still together. New Pediatric surgeon Arizona Robbins arrives and takes an instant shine to a certain Ortho surgeon. Will she rock the boat?or are Erica and Callie strong enough to withstand this new gold star lesbian
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: It's been awhile since I've written any fanfiction, so my skills are quite rusty. I've never written a Grey's Anatomy fic before so I'm hoping this will at least be received as mediocre. This isn't the most exciting of chapters, but hey...gotta start somewhere right? Reviews would be appreciated, I'd really like to hear your opinions and ideas..._

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**Arizona's POV:**

The smell of freshly brewed coffee awoken all my senses upon contact. Although I had only been here a few days, I could tell this tiny, street corner coffee shop was going to be a favourite of mine. I loved the sight of the early morning weekday rush.

Until today, I watched it as a mere bystander, but not now. Now, I was in the thick of it. I was no longer sitting on the cushioned chair by the window, living my life in slow motion watching others in their work week mode. I would be back in action, finally I would have a scalpel in my hand once again and not in just any hospital, but Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital.

This was the day I had waited for my whole career. This was the dream.

I stood in the queue, bemused at the leisurely manner in which the woman behind the counter was working, seemingly unconcerned by the ever growing crowd. I always found people like her curious. How you can go through your workday at a pace that suits you and still enjoy it bewildered me. Surely everyone needed some kind of rush in their day?

I for one had been going crazy since the move to Seattle. Endless free hours in which it was intended I would settle myself into the new city. I had tired of it after two days, missed the thrill of the cut.

"What can I get you?" the impatient voice dragged me from my thoughts. Must have been daydreaming longer than I thought.

"Ehm, coffee, black. To go. First day of work. Don't wanna be late" I smiled at her, unable to contain the excitement in my voice.

She ignored this and handed me my coffee, placing her hand out for the payment. _Rude._ I shook off this unfriendly exchange, turned on my heels and glided towards the door in my brand new pair of wheelie shoes.

I glanced with a grin at the odd stares I received from other customers, unconcerned by their obvious confusion to the sight of a grown woman in roller shoes.

**BANG!**

_Never take your eye off the ball Arizona_.

In my brief moment of smugness I had failed to anticipate the incoming customer which in turn caused me a head on collision with the door.

"Oh my god. I am _SO _sorry!" A gentle hand was extended towards me, "Are you ok?"

I rubbed my head, no doubt there would be a bruise.

"Yeah I'm fine, it-," I paused for a moment upon laying my eyes on the woman in front of me, she was gorgeous, tanned skin, raven black, shoulder length, wavy hair, deep chocolate eyes. She was nothing short of mesmerising. "-it was my fault," I eventually managed to stammer out "should have been watching where I was going."

The perfect stranger smiled at me, the most beautiful , flawless smile I had ever seen. A smile so stunning I would have died happily on the spot if that could be the final image that graced my eyes.

I must have been staring for a moment too long because she began to shift awkwardly on the spot,

"Well, uhm," she indicated to the queue behind me, " see you."

"Yeah. Bye." I replied, then swiftly exiting the shop, turning my head to try and steal one final glimpse.

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**Callie's POV:**

I ran hurriedly down the street, I was running late but I had to make a pit stop, I was useless to anyone without my morning coffee and I only drank the canteen coffee as a last resort.

Finally I reached my destination. The tiny little treasure trove of a coffee shop I happened upon one glorious morning. I never told anyone about it, not even Erica, it was like my own private hideaway from the world. My place of escape. It was such a peaceful place, quaint, small enough to be hidden from the world but big enough not to seem dreary.

I swung the door open in my caffeine driven frenzy.

**BANG!**

She came out of nowhere and seem to land in an almost graceful curly blonde pile on the floor. I couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of her roller shoes. Afraid of offending, I quickly removed my smirk and extended a helping hand,

"Oh my god. I am _SO _sorry! Are you ok?"

She appeared slightly confused as I helped her to her feet, pausing mid-sentence. Not that I had really heard what she was saying anyway. The world around me seem to evaporate the moment my eyes met her dazzling blue ones. I couldn't help but smile at her. She was stunning.

I caught myself staring and quickly shifted awkwardly on the spot, hoping I hadn't made it too obvious,

"Well, uhm, see you." I indicated behind her and went to move for fear that had I waited another second I would have proposed marriage.

"Yeah. Bye." Was her simple response and then she was gone. I turned around to take one last glance, but all I saw was her blonde locks blowing in the wind as she took off on her wheels.

"Morning Dawn." I smiled at the small woman behind the counter, my eyes still directed at the window.

"Strange one her," Dawn replied in her thick British accent nodding towards the window, "in here everyday with a dreamy smile on her face. Far too perky if you ask me. The usual?"

* * *

I walked briskly the three blocks to work, picking up my pace as I entered the hospital and made my way to the locker room.

I was greeted with a warm, tender kiss as I took a seat next to Erica,

"Hey you."

"Hey" I reciprocated the kiss and continued changing into my scrubs.

"Ah Torres, Hahn," Chief Webber spotted us as we made our way to the nurses station, "I'd like you to meet our new head of pediatrics, Arizona Robbins."

The familiar face of the smiling coffeehouse girl appeared from behind Richard Webber, her hand outstretched in salutation.

"Dr. Robbins, this is Erica Hahn, our head of cardiothoracic surgery and Callie Torres, attending orthopedic surgeon."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Torres," her piercing blue eyes did not stray from mine as I took her hand and shook it as though this was our first encounter.

"And you…. _Dr_. Robbins."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read this story and to anyone who favourited/reviewed! You have no idea how helpful it is, besides giving me confidence and encouragement to proceed with the story I also get a sense of what you're looking for. I hope you enjoy it!

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**Callie's POV:**

"Ugh"

"Rough day?"

I looked around to locate the source of the friendly voice and smiled as my eyes fell upon the blonde vision, curled in a ball on the couch in the on-call room.

"You could say that."

I wasn't sure what it was about her, she was still a relative stranger, it had only been a week since she first began gracing the corridors of Seattle Grace but she seemed to have the ability to change the atmosphere in any room upon entry.

I had been avoiding her. Not with any reason. But I felt a pull towards her, an unexplainable connection and it made me feel guilty.

She gave me one of her perfect, dimpled smiles and my breath caught in my throat.

I sat on the edge of the bottom bunk to steady myself, "How's your first week been?"

She threw me another toothy grin. God she was beautiful.

"It's great. The facilities are fantastic and the staff, well, quite frankly they're some of the best surgeons I've ever seen." Her smile faltered slightly for a moment and my heart sank, but as soon as it had disappeared it returned, "Not too sure they're all that fond of me though."

It sounded ludicrous to me. How anyone could not take an instant shine to her was beyond me, however, I knew this wasn't just her imagination. She was perky and wore a pink Hollie Hobbie scrub cap, a lot of people in this place didn't do perky, Cristina, Bailey and Erica were particularly apposed to it.

"No…" I shook my head and tried to look convincing. She laughed and I melted on the spot.

"It's ok Calliope, I get it. People around here like things a certain way, they liked Dr. Kenley, the trusted him… and I'm a stranger with a pony tail and roller shoes."

She was truly amazing.

"So. Calliope," I looked up expectant, I usually hated when people used my full name, I always felt like a bold child, but when she said it, butterflies fluttered through my stomach, I felt special, "people talk, here, people talk…a lot. So for the sake of being honest I think I should tell you, I know things, about you."

I snorted, "Terrific."

"It is, actually. People really like you here."

Her sentence seemed cryptic, almost as though she was trying to convey more than my popularity.

She rose from the couch and made her way next to me, lowering herself so her face was inches away from my own. I could feel her warm breath on my face and a shiver ran down my spine as she leaned in closer and whispered in my ear,

"Some people _really _like you."

And with that, she turned and walked out of the room. I let out a breath I hadn't noticed I had been holding. Laughing to myself, I shook my head in confusion, surely she wasn't flirting in any way. No. For all I knew she was straight. My own warped, lesbian mind had clearly led me to see what I wanted to see.

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**Arizona's POV:**

I closed the door behind me and proceeded down the corridor. I felt slightly exhilarated. I usually wasn't so forward, especially to someone I knew was already involved, but I could help myself. I know whispering in her ear that people like her isn't exactly risqué but I had gotten the feeling she was avoiding me and didn't want to come on too strong. As I had told her, people here were not warming to me so quickly and I didn't want to scare off the only person I actually wanted to get to know.

I'm not a home wrecker, well, never purposely, but I was drawn to Calliope Torres in a way I had never been drawn to any woman before. She was strong and passionate, that was obvious from the little interaction I had with her.

But there was a line and I would not cross it.

Speaking of that line, "Dr Hahn, Dr Sloan." I plastered on my perkiest grin in greeting my co-workers.

"Ah Dr. Robbins, perfect timing," Mark Sloan was an attractive man, a tad overly smug for my liking but it was clear he was a decent guy deep down, "Can you please tell Dr. Hahn here how everyone _has _to celebrate their birthday with a party for all to enjoy?"

"I'm probably not the best person to ask." I responded to his request, turning to Erica, "It's your birthday?"

"No, Torres," Mark answered, "And as her best friend, I say she should have a party, end of story."

"Yes, and as her girlfriend _I _say no fuss." I was finding it as hard to warm up to Erica Hahn as she seemed to find it warming up to me. I'm not sure whether it was because I envied that she got to touch the olive skinned goddess of my dreams and call her her own, or that she simply had a stand-offish persona, either way disagreeing with her gave me great pleasure.

"I kind of agree with Mark, a party _does _seem like a good idea and from the day Calliope seems to be having, it could be just what she needs."

"THANK you!" Mark cheered, giving me a playful slap on the back.

"Fine." Erica said dryly, with an air of distaste, I don't imagine she was impressed with my input concerning her girlfriends happiness.

As she stalked away Mark turned to me, beaming, "Thanks for backing me up Robbins. That one," He said, indicating to the spot where Erica had just occupied, "She's a piece of work." He chuckled and went to follow in the direction of the elevators.

"Robbins!"

I looked up from the chart I had been scanning.

"Drinks. Tonight. Joes. No excuses."

I smiled at him in acceptance, I knew he wasn't asking me on a date, we had crossed that bridge on my first day, so I could see no harm in a few casual after work drinks with a colleague.

"You too Torres."

I turned around to see the current object of my desires having rounded the corner.

"What?"

"Drinks."

Okay, I could see no _serious _harm in a few casual drinks with my colleagues, no matter if it took all my self control to not jump one of them when sober, never mind after adding alcohol into the mix.

Okay, so it might be _potentially _dangerous.


	3. Chapter 3

_Once again thank you all so much for the reviews, they make me more adamant to continue and give me the confidence to do so. I have an exam in the morning but felt I should update since you've all been so kind, unfortunately in my rush I haven't proof read it so it could be aloada bullsh*t for all I know... I'm sorry also if it doesn't live up to the expectations I know some of you seem to have... I promise to make it better as time goes on!:)

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**Arizona's POV:**

I stood outside Joe's, the after hours haunting grounds for many of the hospital employees, I was nervous, it was one thing being in her company at work but this was a whole new playing field, and what if Erica was there?

_Get a grip Arizona, remember, you're awesome!_

I took one last deep breath, secured my gumption, then cautiously pushed open the bar door. They spotted me as soon as I entered, beckoning me over, my heart caught in my throat as I could have sworn Calliope looked almost excited by my appearance. Probably just my imagination. She looked radiant, her long raven hair flowing effortlessly by her shoulders, smokey eyes alluring, better yet no Erica in sight, that definitely aided the stunning view.

"About time! What you drinkin'?" Mark offered.

"White wine." I nodded at him as he made his way to the bar.

"Thought you mightn't make it." Callie said with a smile. I could sit here and just stare at her all night, of course, that would be weird.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." God that sounds dweeb-ish. "No Erica?" _Not that it's any of your business Arizona!_

"No, she's working."

"White for the blonde. Red for the vixen." Mark winked at Callie as he placed our drinks in front of us. Although I knew it was innocent, a pang of jealously hit me. I was in serious trouble!

The evening carried on without a hitch, thankfully. I managed to keep the tummy butterflies somewhat at bay and managed to remain composed and indifferent even when her hand accidentally brushed off mine and our legs touched. Okay, so I was secretly perving, but it was only my outward composure I was really worried about. Mark had left us on our own, opting to spend most of the night looking for a play thing. Can't say I was too put out by his absence, I was grateful for the alone time. Conversation flowed so easily, it was almost as if I'd known her for years, but it was light, none of the heavy, deep stuff. Casual banter.

A few white wines and tequila shots later we decided to call it a night. We gathered our coats and headed for the door.

"Hey Robbins." Mark signalled me back. "Torres is a little worse for wear. Do you mind making sure she gets home alright?"

"_Me_?" I didn't even attempt to hide my confusion, "Don't you two live in the same apartment block?"

"We do, but _she _doesn't." He answered, nodding his head towards the attractive redhead sitting at the end of the bar. He scribbled the address onto the back of a napkin and shuffled me out after Callie, who was leaning against the wall for support.

"Where's Mark? Finally found a sleepover buddy?" She laughed.

I smiled at her. She was insanely cute when she's drunk.

Hailing down a cab, the butterflies returned with a vengeance as she linked her arm in mine and placed her head gently on my shoulder.

Her apartment was closer than I had expected and I hadn't quite worked out in my mind where was it appropriate to go our separate ways. Do I get out of the cab? Do I walk her to the door? Take her upstairs?

"Want some coffee?" She answered my unspoken question.

"I'd love some."

We made our way upto her apartment. If I thought the bar was dangerous territory I was in way over my head now.

She plonked herself on the couch upon entry. Guess she had no immediate plans for coffee.

I sat next to her, taking off her shoes and placing her feet over the edge of the couch.

"You're pretty, you know that." She smiled giddily at me. I knew she was drunk and probably wouldn't remember it in the morning but it didn't matter, my heart leapt.

"Thank you. You're not so bad yourself Torres." I laughed.

"Me? Oh I'm _**hot**_!" I couldn't help but grin, she was miraculous. "So what's your deal, boyfriend? _Girlfriend?_" Although she was drunk and her curiosity was obviously surfacing, I noticed slight caution in her last word.

"Nope, no girlfriend. And _certainly _no boyfriends." I winked at her. _WHY would I wink?_

"Surprising." Was her simple reply.

"What is?"

"I'd have thought there'd be people lining up for you. In fact, I know there are, as you've said, people talk where we work." Her voice lowered with the last sentence, she was probably tired, but I didn't want the conversation to end.

"Wanna give me some names?" I prodded.

She went quiet, straightening up on the chair, she just stared at me, tilting her head slightly.

I swallowed heavily, the atmosphere had changed, the mood felt oddly intense.

She touched my face delicately with her hand and moved in closer until I could feel her warmth on my skin. With little warning, she pressed her soft, sweet lips against mine. It was gentle, at first. She traced my bottom lip with her tongue, requesting entry to which I obliged. It didn't last long, three, maybe four minutes and we separated once again.

Our breaths were shallow and we sat, forehead to forehead, my eyes on her, hers closed.

"I think you'll know."


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note: First and foremost I would like to apologise for my delay with this chapter, I was sick and I know, you'd think that'd give me plenty of time to update, but I was feeling horribly under the weather and honestly quite sorry for myself, so instead, I spent a lot of time sitting back and being reader to some of the fantastic Calzona fics on this site! Nothing short of brilliance! If my stories ever even BEGIN to compare to those out there I will be very happy indeed :) _**

**_Secondly, I would like to thank ALL of you who have taken time to REVIEW this story(And my other story The Aftermath), it really means so much that you not only take time to read it but actually stop and comment! All reviews are welcome, good and constructive(I'd say bad but it may bruise my ego!ha)! And I appreciate that many of you were unhappy with Callie's little cheating indiscretion but I hope that this chapter puts her firmly back in the good books!(or even just a little bit!ha)._**

**_I PROMISE to not take so long between updates, and honestly I kinda make this up as I go along so not even gonna throw out an estimate of chapters. If you guys have any ideas I'd be more than happy to take them on board :) _**

**_This one's short, but it's almost 6am so you'll have to forgive me, and it may as well be now, because I love you ;)ha._**

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**Arizona's POV:**

A week.

It had been one whole week and not so much as a sideward glance from the Orthopedic surgeon that had my heart clutched firmly in the palm of her hand.

She had kissed _me_.

_Really _kissed me.

It had been mind blowing, breathtaking, every cliché of perfection you could think of.

And here she was, acting like I didn't even exist.

My stomach had leapt with butterflies as I entered the hospital the morning after. Of course I knew about her situation with Erica but on that night she showed no regret, even gracing me with one final peck as I departed. I wasn't exactly sure what I was expecting to happen. Sure, the ideal outcome would have been for her to leave Erica immediately and be with me. But this was reality and reality was a bitch.

Originally, I made excuses, told myself she wasn't purposely ignoring me, but by day three I couldn't avoid the truth, not even in my dizziest daydreams. She had sobered up and clearly, I was the hangover she'd rather forget and despite my longing to be near her I had an even greater longing to make her happy, and if pretending I didn't exist made her happy, then I would play invisible.

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**Callie's POV:**

A week.

It had been one whole week since the glorious moment when I disregarded my better judgement and opted instead for reckless abandon. The kiss had been superlative. Even better than I had imagined. It was my movie moment kiss. The world around me had disappeared as I entered a new and more visceral reality. I had refused to let guilt or regret deflate my elevated mood on that night. Even after Arizona had left, I replayed the moment over and over in my head until I slipped into dreams that came nowhere near the splendor of my most recent being.

However, the sun rose in the sky the next morning and my alarm clock sounded the familiar chime and as expected came the heavy weight of guilt I had been hoping to avoid.

I didn't regret the act itself if I was being honest. I don't think anyone could truly regret something so wonderful. No, my only regret was how it came about. I had fantasized about kissing the gorgeous blonde countless times, picturing vividly the moment when our lips would first touch, and I can safely say, that was not it.

I had imagined it would occur of it's own accord, natural, when we were both in a situation where the moment remained magical and not a crime.

I still belonged to Erica. I still _loved _Erica. And until I could work out the ongoing feud between my head and my heart I couldn't face Arizona.

My head told me not to even question it, Erica was the safe and reasonable choice, she loves me and I love her, my heart still _feeling _love for her, one kiss with another woman wasn't going to change that. I didn't _love _Arizona. But my heart leapt whenever I'd catch a glimpse of her gliding down the hall or flashing one of her super magic dimpled smiles. She was a risk. I didn't even know how she felt about me. was I really even humouring the thought of throwing away my loving, longterm relationship for a woman I barely even knew?

But Arizona and I still worked together and even if my head and heart were still at odds I couldn't avoid her forever. I had to talk to her. I _will _talk to her… Tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's note: Thank you once again for the replies, it was brought to my attention that the cynic in me mistook some reviews so I hope this chapter is better and more enjoyable for you all! I would like to dedicate this chapter to FUNKYSHAZ57 as a thank you! _**

**_Not too much fuzz in this chapter but I'm happy enough with it so I hope you will be too :)_**

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**5:00am**.

I tossed and turned in my bed, sleep seemed near impossible. I had made my decision to speak with Arizona in the morning but couldn't think of a single thing to say. What is appropriate conversation after a drunken kiss and a week of silence?

Erica snored lightly next to me, a feature I found almost cute and comforting once upon a time, now just becoming increasingly irritating and not helping my current insomnia. I turned on my side and watched her sleep for a few moments. She wasn't perfect, to be honest, I'm not sure I ever thought she was.

I had liked men, my whole life I liked men, their broad shoulders, big arms, slight stubble. It wasn't until I had met Erica that that changed and even then I was reluctant to accept it. She had admired me, wanted me, there is something so much more flattering about being desired by a female. And initially that was what it was, I was flattered and curious, she was new and I felt an attraction to her. But it was not hot, fiery, passionate attraction, I hadn't felt the unbearable desire to jump her every time I saw her.

That's what I found so intriguing about Arizona, the butterflies in the tummy, sweaty palms, raw passion I had felt during the impulsive kiss.

Staring at Erica guilt rose in me once again, I had betrayed her, that wasn't me, I wasn't a cheater.

Knowing too many thoughts ran through my mind to sleep, I removed myself from the bed, pulled on sweatpants and a t-shirt and headed out the door.

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I strolled at a slow pace, aimlessly, allowing my feet make the decisions. _Why _had I chosen to ignore Arizona? I mean I know _why_, I felt awkward and ashamed at my forwardness, but now it would be even more awkward, not to mention she was probably mad at me for my blatant ignorance towards her. I wouldn't blame her. I'd be mad at me too.

The smell of freshly brewed morning coffee hit my senses and shook me from my thoughts. Without realising it I had found myself in front of my favourite, quaint coffee shop. It seemed like fate I would show up at my one escape from the world when I needed it the most. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside, it was much quieter than usual, seemingly empty, no music playing.

"Callie, you're here early." Came a voice from somewhere out of sight, the British accent I knew immediately to be Dawn's, "Starting or finishing?"

"I'm sorry?" I asked her, walking towards the counter, confused by her question.

"Work. Goin in or comin out?"

"Oh. Right. Neither. Couldn't sleep."

"Well, coffee _is _the cure for insomnia." Dawn replied with a smirk, not even attempting to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

I liked Dawn, she wasn't everyone's cup of tea, bluntly honest to the point of almost being rude, but she was enjoyable to talk to and once you got on her good side she was actually rather pleasant.

"The usual?" I nodded in reply.

"Calliope?" My eyes shot open wider at the sound of my name from behind me Knowing who it was immediately I felt a cold, nervous sweat run through me. I turned reluctantly to face the adorable blonde, who, if it were possible, looked even more adorable than usual in an oversized hoodie, her gorgeous girls slightly tousled. What surprised me most was that she was _smiling _at me. Then again, that seemed to be her _thing, _to plaster a smile on her face regardless of the circumstances, hiding her true emotions.

"Arizona. Hi." I knew my voice was shaky and nervous, it didn't occur to even attempt to hide my unease at the situation. "Wha- what are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep." She replied. My eyes strayed to the empty coffee cup in her hand, she had obviously been here before me and my heart sunk as the thought she might be leaving entered my mind. This thought bewildered me, you'd think I'd be grateful to be separated from this encounter, but I felt an odd ease and comfort with her around.

"Me neither." I added truthfully, "Can I buy you a coffee?"

She smiled, it seemed genuine, relaxed. _How _does she do it?

"Sure, why not!"

Dawn handed me the two coffees, giving me a suspicious look which let me know she wasn't gonna let this slide without later explanation.

We sat at a table nearest the back of the shop, it was near the window and had large comfortable sofa chairs, I hoped the comfort of which would relax me before I began talking un-prepared.

"Arizona"

"Callie"

We both spoke at once, causing each of us to release a slight chuckle.

"You go first." She offered.

I took a deep breath before speaking, "I'm sorry." I looked down in at the coffee cup in my hands, unable to look her in the eye. "I shouldn't have kissed you…" raising my head momentarily I saw a look of hurt flash briefly across her features. I quickly corrected myself, "Not-not that I didn't want to! Because I did! I mean, I _really _did." I spoke the end of the sentence more to myself. "But, I'm involved and I shouldn't have done it. It wasn't fair to Erica and it certainly wasn't fair to you. And I am, _so _sorry for avoiding you, I just… I didn't know what to say." My breath hitched as I felt a lump form in my throat. Seeing I was having trouble continuing, she offered contribution.

"Calliope, don't be sorry." This time I looked up at her, her eyes seemed deep, apologetic even, "You were drunk, I should have stopped the kiss, but," now it was her turn to look down into her mug, "but I was being selfish. You're with Erica and I should have shown more respect for that. I just… I hope we can still be friends?"

"I'd like that." I smiled at her. There was a lot I knew had been left unsaid but for now I was happy to move past the point of awkward, to live in ignorant bliss.

She gave me a super magic Arizona Robbins smile and my heart soared.

Desperate to keep conversation flowing, I smiled back, "So, Mark's insisting I have a birthday party. You're coming right?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Wouldn't miss it."

If living in this pretend, happy friendship bubble was the most I was going to get, I was in no hurry to pop it.


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N: Not sure I like this chapter. Probably didn't give it enough thought so I'm sorry :/

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**Arizona's POV:**

It had been two weeks since the early morning coffee shop rendezvous with Calliope and the whole "friendship" plan appeared to be running smoothly.

We exchanged courteous salutations in the hallways, sat at the same table at lunch, even went for after work drinks with our colleagues.

But my favourite moments were those spent with her alone. It had become our routine to meet at Java every morning, as I got to know her it became increasingly difficult to not become utterly smitten with her, she was pretty much perfect in every way imaginable.

Of course, the more time we spent together, the harder it was to watch the stolen kisses and subtle handholding between her and Erica. I tried to avoid staring, tried to occupy myself when such moments arose, but my eyes were drawn to them like a magnet. I couldn't help but watch in jealous awe as Callie would push stray strands of hair from Erica's face, or how they would leave hand in hand at the end of the day. My heart stung with these gestures. But I was growing accustomed to it. Feigned convincing smiles. Even managed some successful small talk with Erica.

Needless to say, the prospect of attending Calliope's party, where no doubt affectionate displays would be in overdrive, was not a thrilling thought. I had wracked my brain for an excuse to cancel, and thought of a few rather convincing outs, but every time I approached my raven haired muse to follow through, the words lodged in my throat.

So, as the party drew closer, I did the only thing I could think of to keep my mind off Calliope in her happy pink lovey dovey bubble, I found a date.

**Callie POV:**

"So, what, you're just not going to come?" I questioned her in disbelief.

She sighed deeply in frustration before responding, "I told you I didn't want you to go ahead with this party from the beginning."

"Well this may come as a surprise to you Erica, but _everything _is not all about what _you _want!"

She ignored my statement, continuing to fiddle with whatever it was she was doing on her laptop. I threw my arms in the air in surrender. There was no use arguing with her when she got like this, so instead of even trying, I removed myself to the bedroom to get ready.

If I was honest with myself I was slightly relieved Erica was being so stubborn about the party. Things between us had become quite hostile as of late, our conversations rarely ventured outside the topic of medicine, we were arguing over the tiniest of things and the sex had come to a firm halt. We were able to keep up a rather convincing appearance of happiness at the hospital but I had been worried about the party, a whole evening under the pretence of being a happy couple seemed like a hell of a lot of work. So yes, I was more than satisfied with the prospect of enjoying my birthday without the extra burden. Not to mention it would allow me a chance to spend some extra time with Arizona without the condemning eyes of Erica Hahn.

Mark picked me up for the party, waving a sarcastic goodbye to Erica as we left.

"Can't believe you're putting up with that Torres." He said, his voice sounding aggravated.

"It's just a tiff Mark, no big deal." I shrugged off.

"Yeah but on your _birthday!" _I could sense his frustration but ignored it.

He too let it slide as excitement kicked in. He was like a small child on Christmas morning. Since the party was his idea I had put him in charge of organisation and he had put all his effort into ensuring it was a successful night.

Opening the door of the club he gestured for me to enter. I stopped dead in my tracks as I took in my surroundings. He had booked out the entire upstairs floor of the club. It was sleek, sexy, sophisticated. He had exceeded my expectations.

The room was already full of partygoers, many of whom rushed to me, whishing a 'Happy Birthday' before continuing the festivities. Mark led me to a nearby booth where Derek, Cristina, Owen, Meredith, and, to my happy surprise, Addison, were already situated.

We sat and drank, enjoying the company, it was great to see Addison, it was such a rare occurrence these days.

"How long are you in town?" I questioned.

"Just the weekend. Maybe a little longer." She winked, before standing up and taking Mark's hand as he led her to the dance floor.

I sat back and smiled watching my two goofy best friends dance to some cheesy 80's pop song.

I scanned the room. The party had been in full swing for over an hour and there was still no sign of the perky blonde that had played on my mind all afternoon.

I made my way to the bar for a refill when she caught my eye. She looked stunning, a tight black dress clung to her in all the right places, her curly hair straight, framing her face beautifully. She spotted me and a giant, dimpled smile spread across her face. I inhaled deeply, steadying myself for her approach. She made her way to me, smile never faltering,

"Calliope. Happy birthday." She pulled me into a hug. _My god, she smelled fantastic._

"I'm glad you could make it." I smiled back as she released me from her hold.

"Of course! Sorry I'm so late, wardrobe malfunction." She responded, gesturing towards her perfect physique.

"You look amazing." I said quietly but loud enough that she seemed to hear. Her cheeks blushed red.

A tall, beautiful brunette came up and stood beside Arizona, placing her hand delicately on her shoulder causing the blonde to jump.

"Oh Callie, this is Joanne. My date." My heart sunk. I felt deflated. My face must have given me away because her smile faltered, her eyes refusing to meet mine.

"Nice to meet you." I said pleasantly.

Joanne extended a hand to me, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." I replied, eyes firmly on Arizona.

Joanne seemed pleasant and was obviously gorgeous. She had light brown hair that reached just below her shoulders, her skin was lightly tanned and her eyes were a shade of blue, so stunning they gave Arizona's a run for their money.

"No Erica?" Arizona chimed in, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Ehm… no. Sh-she wasn't feeling well." I suddenly felt extremely claustrophobic. "If you'll excuse me."

I pushed past the two women in front of me, heading for the bathroom, I could feel Arizona's eyes on me but didn't look back.


	7. Chapter 7

**Callie's POV:**

I barged through the bathroom door, glancing swiftly around and releasing a held breath at the relief of it's emptiness.

I walked toward the black marbled sink, placing my weight on the cold substance, looking at myself in the mirror. I looked so much better than I felt, it seemed like such a waste. I couldn't even understand why I felt so bothered about Arizona bringing a date, plenty of people had brought dates, and while I did know that I was not attracted and drawn to the plenty of people, there was nothing romantic about my situation with Arizona, it was perfectly within her right to have a date. _I_ had a girlfriend. But still, I was mad. Mad at her for showing up when my girlfriend had not. Mad at her for looking so breathtakingly stunning. Mad at the fact that she looked so good for some random brunette. Mad at the thought of said random getting to touch her, make her laugh. Mad at myself for being annoyed at any of these things.

I exhaled heavily again, reaching down to cup the ice cold water from the tap and splash it on my face. _Snap out of it._

I reached blindly for a paper towel, clawing at the empty space on the wall, when my hand collided with another. I reluctantly took the offering and whispered a 'thanks', although I was unable to see the hand's owner I knew immediately who it was and sighed.

"Okay. What's gotten into you Torres?"

I threw the towel in the bin and turned to face the other woman, scowling at her in the knowledge that lying was not an option.

"I don't know what you're talking bout Addison." (Didn't mean I wasn't gonna try). I feigned confusion.

She took a step towards me, her face informing me that she didn't buy my act for a second.

"Callie, I am here at the request of Mark Sloan because he seems to think that you're having some sort of life crisis! I told him he was insane! That Callie Torres doesn't have crisis', but then, I come here tonight and you're playing with you're drinks, barely engaging with your guests, not contributing to the conversation unless necessary, you haven't set foot on the dance floor, and now I see you run to bathroom almost in tears. I did _not _travel one thousand miles for you to lie to my face, so spill, what's up?" She stood firmly on the spot, blocking the entrance, her face serious, her arms crossed over her chest.

I leaned back against the sink and looked at my feet before bringing my eyes to meet hers. We locked eyes for mere seconds, mine pleading for this conversation to be let go, hers informing me there was no way.

"I kissed a PEDs surgeon."

Her face softened at my revelation, curiosity clearly getting the better of her.

"You kissed a PEDs surgeon?"

I nodded yes in response and glanced at my feet once again before I spoke.

"I kissed a PEDs surgeon." It was but a whisper.

Addison smirked in obvious amusement. I ignored it and continued with more defiance,

"I kissed a Peds surgeon. She-she's perky and has butterflies on her scrub cap." I could hear the slight hysteria in my voice, at how ridiculous my description of her sounded, "but she's also hot… _really _hot. And I like her okay? I like her." I tossed my arms in the air in surrender then reverted my eyes back to the floor and kept them there before proceeding in defeat, "I like that she wears wheelie sneaks and overuses the word awesome and cries when faced with authority!" I sighed, "I like the way she looks at me like I'm the only one in the room and… Erica and I…we don't have sex." The end of my sentence came out more as a blurt and I lifted my head to catch the red head's reaction.

Her face was full of sympathy, her head cocked slightly to one side, her lips curved into a faint frown. We stayed in silence for a few moments before she finally spoke.

"So… why aren't you doing something about it?" She questioned. I felt suddenly defensive.

"I _have _been doing something about it Addison! I've tried everything! But she just… says she's too tired." My voice had lowered when I realised how aggressive I had sounded at the beginning of my outburst.

She shook her head, "Not about Erica. About the PEDs surgeon. You can't just do _nothing."_

"What?" I was utterly confused by her reaction to my revelation.

She sighed at my ignorance, "You like her, from what you've said I'm thinking she likes you too. And what? You're just gonna hang out in here? Callie, there's a moment for two people, a moment where they can catch fire, you don't wanna let that moment pass you by and spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been."

Her speech did nothing to ease my confusion. Addison had always been very fond of Erica, always been very supportive and enthusiastic about our relationship and now here she was, telling me to catch fire with my sexy PEDs surgeon.

"Think about it," she smiled at me, "but fast. Don't miss your moment."

She winked at me then turned and walked out to rejoin the party.

I stood in the spot contemplating what my best friend had just said. She made it sound so simple, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world to do. If this was the case, why had I been tearing myself apart inside trying to come to terms with the chaos in my mind?

It may have just been the carefree illusion of alcohol or maybe Addison had actually made sense but I made my decision. I was going to take my moment.

I looked at myself once more in the mirror, taking a deep breath of confidence, I followed Addison's exit.

* * *

I made my way to the dance floor with renewed confidence, stopping only to throw back a shot of tequila one of the waiters was distributing via his tray. Scanning the room I felt a sliver of slight disappointment when I could not find her among the crowd. My shoulders slumped at the thought that I may be too late. My moment could very well be gone.

I sauntered solemnly back to the booth I had occupied earlier, feeling deflated.

My heart jumped at the sight of blonde hair as I neared, excitement growing. Excitement that quickly faded upon getting closer only to realise the perfect owner of the blonde locks was attached to her date in what looked like a rather heated make out session. I felt a lump form in my throat and tears sting my eyes threatening to expose my emotion, I wanted to move but my legs appeared to be stuck firmly to the ground, the room around me seemed to disappear except for the sight I was beholding.

A faint chime of "Happy Birthday" rang in my ears as those around me began to sing me out of my daze. Arizona broke from her activity and looked up, spotting me, her features took on a guilty expression. My eyes shifted slightly to Joanne as I crashed firmly back to reality. She had joined in the chorus of singing, completely oblivious to the tension that had risen between me and her date.

I turned to face the singing crowd, feeling suddenly claustrophobic as Mark drew nearer with a large birthday cake, I bolted towards the door, mumbling apologies to those I pushed out of my way. I could hear the singing come to a hault before I had even reached the exit.

* * *

The cold night hair hit my face, stinging slightly. I was glad for the breeze providing me with oxygen, I felt like I could breath for the first time in hours.

I heard the door behind me open and close.

"Go away Mark!" I snapped angrily, regretting my harshness immediately but keeping my stare forward.

"It's not Mark." The soft voice spoke.

I froze, not wanting to turn around. I didn't need to. Arizona moved in front of me, lowering her head to catch my eyes.

"Hey. Hey." She grabbed both of my arms as I began to release heavy, uncontrollable sobs. When I didn't stop she pulled me into a tight embrace, "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay." She lulled.

I could feel my breathing steady and got the courage to look at her. Her eyes were so full of concern, I melted under her gaze.

"Better?" She asked sweetly, giving me a hopeful smile.

I nodded, sniffling, "A little. Thanks."

She removed her arms from around me and stood back, she seemed a little on edge, as though she had a burning question.

I looked at her, refusing to meet her eye, knowing the question would likely involve me revealing something I would rather not in this instant.

"What?"

"You gonna tell me what that was all about?" She asked, her voice more confident than her face.

I remained silent for a second, thinking.

"It was…." I sighed, "It was nothing."

She didn't accept this, her face became stern and when she spoke her voice matched it, "_That_," She said, gesturing behind me, "was not _nothing!_ God Calliope! _Why _are you making this so difficult?" She slapped her hand to her head in frustration.

"_Excuse me?_" I questioned in astonishment. "_I'm _making this difficult? _I'm _not the one playing tonsil hockey with some leggie brunette!" I shot at her.

Shock overtook her features, "No, you're not! _You're _the one who kissed and then ignored me! _You're _the one parading her happy relationship around the hospital. And _you're _the one who looks at me like I have acted out the worst betrayal for bringing a date to her birthday party! What do you want me to do Calliope?" Her ramble ended in a defeated tone, she looked at me pleadingly as though she genuinely wanted an answer.

"I want…" I gulped, taking a step towards her, "I _want,_" I took another step, trying to steady my voice, "_I want_," my voice was a whisper as I closed the distance between us, catching her lips in mine. She fell into me in surrender, bringing her hands up to cup my face. I wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her closer, _needing _her closer. We stumbled until my back hit the hard brick wall. She pressed her body against me. Her hands moved to my hair, pulling and grabbing as mine moved up and down her body, groping, needing to feel her, needing to break through the barricade of clothes. I moved my lips to her neck, sucking, biting. She moaned in pleasure, encouraging me more. I brought my lips back to meet hers, a frenzy of tongues and hands.

She broke the kiss much to my displeasure, leaning her forehead against mine, our breathing ragged, she spoke, "We… we shouldn't."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, "No! I want this! I _want_you!" I could hear the almost aching desperation in my voice.

Evidently so could she, an understanding in her eyes. Without another word she took my hand and led me to the edge of the sidewalk, hailing down the nearest cab.

* * *

We resumed our inappropriate public display upon entering the cab. I could feel the driver watching us from the rearview mirror but it didn't phase me. I shivered as her hand ran up and down the length of my thigh.

Arizona threw a few dollar bills at the cab driver as we made a hurried exit, rejoining our lips as soon as possible.

She fumbled with her keys when we reached her apartment. Eventually unlocking it, we stumbled inside, discarding clothes along the way, not breaking the kiss.

We fell simultaneously onto her bed. She rolled me over so that she was on top. Straddling me, we rubbed against each other in the only items of clothing still attached. I felt comfort in her warmth as she kissed down my aching body, stopping briefly to appreciate my breasts before continuing her journey to where I needed her most.

She traced her fingers lightly over the fabric of my underwear. I blushed slightly at the knowledge she could now tell how much I wanted her. She continued to tease me as she made her way back up to my mouth. I rocked my hips towards her, our kissing becoming urgent, pleading with each other for release. I pulled the blanket over our almost naked frames.

Finally she removed the unwanted garments. Once again tracing her hand to where I craved her. She broke away from our embrace, staring into my eyes as her fingers set to work, watching me in awe.

My breath caught in my throat as I could feel myself near my climax. I reached up and grabbed the back of her neck, stifling a moan with her mouth. I could feel her smile into the kiss as my body convulsed in pleasure.

"You're beautiful." She whispered softly, caressing my cheek. My heart flooded with a burst of emotion. In that moment I could think of no words to convey how I was feeling, instead I had an incessant need to show her.

We continued like this into the night, satisfying our cravings for one another. The first signs of morning began to show before we'd stopped.

As amazing as it had been being so intimate with her, it was equally as nice just being with her. Lying in her arms as we drifted into a satisfied slumber, she kissed the top of my head as I tightened my grip around her waist,

"Goodnight Calliope."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This wasn't exactly what I had planned the next chapter to be, but I can't sleep so turned to writing and this came out... Consider it somewhat of a filler/plot advancement if you will (not that this story has a solid plot!ha) I know already that some of you probably won't be happy with Callie and for that I apologise. If you have time, let me know what you think? :)

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**

I was woken by a loud buzzing sound that was being very unkind to my post- alcohol induced headache, feeling a stir as Arizona removed her arms from around me but kept my eyes closed, not willing to leave our perfect pink bubble just yet.

I heard her let out a thankful sigh as she returned to the bed, nudging me lightly, "Yours." She groaned into the pillow.

I moaned in frustration and got up to check it, not 911 so no real rush. I took my position once again in the left hand side of the bed, snuggling into her as she draped one arm over my shoulders.

"Shouldn't you go get that?" She queried at my blatant disregard for the hospital call.

"Meh, it's nothing that can't wait." I mumbled into her neck. I could feel her smile as she placed a gentle kiss to the top of my head.

"Last night was-" She began, but trailed off and I could feel her body tense. I looked up to meet her stare, her eyes were full of uncertainty.

"-amazing." I finished, my lips curving into a reassuring smile as her features relaxed.

We lay in a semi-sleep state for a few minutes, a comfortable silence washing over us. It was nice to feel like this again, appreciated, relaxed, comfortable. I hadn't had this feeling with Erica in quite some time. In fact, I'm not sure it ever did feel quite like this with Erica. I don't remember it ever feeling so easy. I was Erica's first and it took her awhile to grow at ease with the idea of being with a woman, and an even longer while to work out the kinks, so the beginning of our relationships had been full of awkward dissatisfaction and uncomfortable morning afters. Nothing like this. This just felt so natural. It almost felt crazy we hadn't been doing this all along. I imagined what it would be like to wake up like this every morning. To have Arizona's arms wrapped securely around me, making me feel safe, to have her beautiful blue eyes and dimpled smile be the first thing I saw everyday. _What a way to start the day._ She began to lull me back to sleep by drawing delicate circles on my shoulder, but in typical Murphy's law fashion, my wonderful world of dreams was interrupted by another loud buzzing.

Arizona reached to the bedside locker where she had placed her beeper, examining it, I felt her shift and disappointment weighed down upon me.

"You're leaving?" I knew my voice sounded needy, almost desperate, but I hated her not being so close.

"Unfortunately." Her face conveyed the disappointment I felt. "Mine _is_ a 911."

She threw on a pair of black jeans, a blue t-shirt and a darker blue cardigan and made for the door, stopping momentarily to place a tender kiss on my lips.

I lay back into the pillows and sighed heavily. It was time to pop my perfect little morning bubble.

I entered the hospital feeling more alive than I could ever remember in my time here. There was a smile on my face and a spring in my step, as clichéd as it sounded, I felt like I was walking on air.

A feeling that was quickly diminished as I rounded the corner to nurses station and came thundering back down to earth. I had completely forgotten that I would have to explain to her why it was I didn't come home last night. I tried to make my way to the stairs unnoticed but it was too late.

"Callie!" Her tone was unreadable. I turned reluctantly on the spot, only hoping I could keep the guilt off my face. I rose my eyebrows expectantly for good measure. "You never came home last night."

I wasn't sure if she expected me to respond so remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I just- .. Where were you?" She questioned staring at the clothes I had borrowed from Arizona. Thankfully her clothes did not resemble her personality and so could have belonged to anyone.

"Stayed at a friend's." I shrugged nonchalantly, hoping by playing it cool she'd leave it go.

No such luck. "What friend?" She persisted.

"Just a friend." I didn't want to tell her that it was Arizona as that would only lead to another onslaught of questions, "Is that it?"

"I guess so." She eyed me sceptically.

"See you later then." My voice was cold but I figured that was the best way. After all, I should be mad at her for not coming to the party, if I was going to play the innocent victim I at least had to try and be convincing.

The day passed slowly. Thoughts of Arizona filled my mind. I hadn't seen her all day and found myself missing her. Every now and then I'd see blonde curls bouncing atop of a white lab coat but every time my spirits sank when the owner of the curls was not her.

I walked lazily down the hall, it was a slow day, which was rare. Usually I would enjoy a day like this, gave me a break from running myself into the ground. But today I resented the lack things to do. It only gave my mind more time to play on Arizona and made me overly aware of how slow time was passing. I hadn't realised how tired I was until I was passing an on-call room. To be fair, I didn't get a lot of sleep.

Entering the room my heart jolted as I was faced with the blonde that had invaded all my thoughts of the day, nestled adorably on one of the bottom bunks. I froze on the spot, afraid to disturb her when she looked so peaceful. On the other hand, all I wanted to do was climb next to her and wrap her in a warm embrace. I moved slightly closer, making every effort to stay silent. Leaning over her, I placed a delicate kiss on her cheek. She made an odd stretching sound as her eyes fluttered open meeting mine.

"Calliope." She said with a dry, husky voice and a smile. "I haven't seen you around. Avoiding me again?" She questioned jokingly although I could hear a twinge of seriousness.

"Not at all!" I answered honestly. "I haven't stopped thinking about you all day."

"Me either." She said dreamily. Her smile faltered.

"What did Erica say? You know, about you not going home?"

"She didn't say anything really." I shrugged. I could tell there was more on her mind by the way her brow furrowed and her eyes appeared focused on something invisible in front of her face as though she was lost in some kind of internal debate. "Arizona?"

"Are you going to tell her?" I knew she was trying to hide the curiosity in her voice but she wasn't so successful. I felt suddenly bad, I hadn't yet stopped to think of how this would affect the other involved parties. I had been riding on my happiness wave, not taking time to notice the inevitable destruction it would cause. It never occurred to me to tell Erica, but then it hadn't occurred to me not to. Truth be told I hadn't given it thought either way, but I knew I needed a better response than this to give Arizona, she was a part of all this now too. She could very easily end up hurt and that was the last thing I wanted. I forced myself to look into her beautiful blue orbs. My heart burst with emotion just looking at her and in that instant my mind was made up.

"Yes." her face remained calm but I could see her eyes light up at my proclamation. "I'm going to tell her."

"How do you think she'll react?" She asked coyly, fidgeting with her hands.

"Well…" I exhaled deeply, "She won't be happy. And she certainly won't want me around you."

I could see her swallow back heavily, her shoulders drooping and she spoke a barely audible, "Oh."

I realised how that must have came across and spoke quickly as to rectify it.

"No. I mean-," I was at a loss for words, I needed for her to understand, "I love her-"

She nodded her head and sniffled, continuing to fidget.

"No- This isn't coming out right. I love Erica… but I don't think I'm _in _love with her anymore. I don't feel like myself when I'm with her. She doesn't deserve what I did and I have no intention of making excuses for myself but…" I lifted her head and forced her teary eyes to meet mine, "She's not who I want to be with."

I noticed how Arizona's breath caught and her features became hopeful. I loved being the one to make her face light up like this.

"I want _you."_

She rewarded me with the most perfect of smiles, "I want to be with you too Calliope."

I smiled back. It was the greatest feeling to hear those words come from her mouth.

"But, as you said, it's not fair to Erica. Before _we ," _she gestured between us, "can be anything, you need to talk to her."

I nodded in understanding, catching her hand in mine, "I know but…Can we just sit like this for a bit?"

She gave me a sad, uncertain smile, as though she knew something I didn't, "Yeah, we can… for a bit."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope this doesn't disappoint. Review if you have the time, I'd like to know what you think? I have a few ideas about where I'm thinking of taking the rest of the story, I think I have a few more chapters in me for this one. But I'd like your opinions? :)

* * *

**

Two hours after leaving the on-call room I had successfully managed to avoid any contact with Erica. I knew I had to tell her, I just _really _didn't want to. Not because I was changing my mind, far from it, but I wasn't looking forward to the anger, the shouting, or worse again, the tears and silence. _What am I thinking, Erica doesn't cry._ It was almost weird, robotic even. The only time I had ever seen her cry was after our first night together, but they were happy tears. I had also not seen Mark all day so hadn't had a chance to tell him about any of it and right now I could use an outsiders perspective as clock off drew closer so did the inevitable confrontation.

I sat alone on one of the benches outside the main door of the hospital. The night was chilly but not unbearable, then again the bobbing on the spot probably helped me retain heat. I was trying to stop myself, the bobbing on the spot was always a nervous habit of mine and Erica would know straight away something was up, I wanted to ease her into it. Not that there was anything _easy _about it.

I heard the doors open and the sound of heels on concrete, looking up, my breath lodged in my throat. I knew what I had to do but words seemed to be failing me in the instant. Erica walked towards me, a half-hearted smile on her face, more than I had seen her so much as attempt in a long while. I stood as she neared me, tensing when she placed a delicate kiss on my lips. I could tell she was studying my face as she pulled away, her own features curving into a frown. I swallowed heavily hoping she hadn't chosen _this _moment to become perceptive.

"Callie I'm sorry." She sighed, her eyes revealing the honesty behind her words. I was taken aback, the words that failed me now were not of sympathy or guilt, but of confusion. She was _sorry? _I shook my head in disbelief.

"You're _sorry?_" I questioned, astonishment alarmingly evident in my tone.

She nodded in response, "I'm sorry. For everything. I haven't been a very good girlfriend lately. You've become distant, but I understand that that's _my _fault. I've been pushing you away in a sense and I am sorry. I can't even give you a reason because I don't have one. I guess I…. just… became, complacent in our relationship, began taking you for granted. And your birthday… well, I don't even know where to begin, I honestly can't justify my behaviour but, I talked to Mark and he made me realise how ridiculous I was being…"

My mouth fell open just a little bit, shock still buzzing through my body.

She laughed a little at my expression, clearly misunderstanding, "I know right? Mark Sloan giving _me _relationship advice. But he talked sense into me," Her face became serious, "He made realise that if I didn't come off autopilot in our relationship, I could lose you. I can't lose you."

I hadn't noticed her grabbing my hands, using them to tug me slightly closer, her eyes pleading, hopeful for an acceptance to her apology. But I was lost for words. The guilt and remorse that I had not previously felt came thundering down upon me. I was unable to retain eye contact. Removing my hands from hers, I stepped back.

"Callie…" She whispered and I could see the desperation in her eyes. "Please?"

I took a deep, steadying breath and found it in me to make myself look her in the eye.

"Erica… I have something I need to say."

Her eyes lit up, expectant, a renewed hope, which only layered on the guilt knowing I was about to shatter it.

"I….I slept with someone else." It came out in one, hurried breath, almost like word vomit, only that it was exactly what I wanted to say, perhaps not so bluntly but…

Her face dropped.

A range of emotions flooding across her features so fast I was unable to determine which was the dominant one. She stood still for a few moments, processing, before moving around me to sit on the bench I had vacated. I chose to remain standing, feeling it only right to not suffocate her with my explanation.

"Who?" She asked, looking up at me again. Like her face, there was no distinct emotion in her voice, she sounded a little winded, like I had punched her in the gut, but there was no visible signs of anger or sadness. This made me nervous as to the direction this conversation would take.

"_Who?" _She asked again, more forcefully, when I failed to answer her.

I was unsure whether it was wise to tell her, afraid to dig the knife in deeper, but she had asked and I figured an honest answer was the least I owed her. Inhaling deeply I answered, bracing myself,

"Arizona Robbins."

I had intended for it to come out coherent but it was nothing but a whisper as my eyes fell to the floor. I suddenly regretted choosing to do this here, outside the hospital, for many reasons, Arizona could walk out at any moment and make this whole conversation a hell of a lot worse for one, not to mention the gossip hungry nurses who's radar would be on high alert at even the slightest sign of conflict.

Although she didn't ask another question I decided to continue, thinking it best to get everything out in the open, put all the cards on the table.

"It was, after my party. You hadn't come, we'd been fighting, I was upset and drunk and-" I really didn't know what to say, that was basically the gist of it, I didn't think she'd like to know of the jealousy I felt at seeing Arizona with someone else or the stolen moment in the on call room, no, the truth could only extend so far.

Erica rose to her feet, standing in front of me, shoulders square, face stern, devoid of any readable emotion. "OK. Can we go home now?" Her voice was agitated and bossy, a tone I had gotten used to in recent months, in fact, I doubted it would have sounded any less harsh on any other day before all of this had happened, but I was confused none the less. I stood firmly on the spot as she began down the walkway.

"Ok? Go home?" I questioned incredulously.

She turned to look at me, her features remaining composed, "Yes. Home."

"Erica… I…I'm…did you hear what I just said?" It was a rhetorical question. I obviously knew she had heard of course, the question I was really asking was why she was acting like I hadn't said anything.

She took a step towards me, her face never faltering,

"Callie. We make mistakes. Now, if you don't mind, I'm exhausted."

She turned and headed for my apartment once again. I still didn't move, unsure how to respond. I didn't want to go with her but her reaction had taken me off guard.

Erica turned around again when I did not follow. Throwing her hands in the air in frustration, she let out an exasperated sigh, "Callie, I really don't want to go back and forth all night. I'm tired. I want to sleep. Please."

It wasn't a request. And her indifference to the situation invoked a sense of anger and resentment in me. _Why _didn't she care?

"Erica, how can you act so … so calm about this? Do I mean _that _little to you that you can just immediately overlook this? Does it not bother you that I was with someone else? That I let her touch me? Kiss me?"

She didn't move or make an attempt to speak, just stood there with the same sour expression on her face. Deep down I knew that I should be happy she wasn't mad, but anger was definitely _my_ dominant emotion. I stepped closer to her before bitterly whispering,

"It doesn't bother you that the last name I screamed was _hers?_ That it was _her _arms I woke up in?"

I almost regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. Yes I was mad that she didn't seem to care but that didn't give me the right to twist the knife any deeper than I had already plunged it, because I knew, deep down I knew, she _did _care. I stood stubbornly none the less, it was too late to back down.

My last words seemed to have cracked her, she moved towards me too, keeping her voice at a publicly acceptable level while her tone became venomous,

"You don't think I care? You think I liked laying awake all night wondering where you were… whose _arms _you could be in? You think I like knowing that you let someone else touch you? Of course I'm _mad _at you! You…" She paused to take a composing breath, "You _slept _with someone else. I sat there while you crashed my world down around me. But I know… I … I love you and you love me and none of the rest of it _matters! _We can move on from this." She sounded so certain. I stood looking at her, analysing her face. It was confident, assuring, so much so that I almost believed her.

I shook my head, noticing her feature change as I did so.

"No."

"No?" She spoke as if she'd heard me incorrectly.

"No!" I reinforced. "No, I don't… love you… not anymore. Not like I did. I've tried to convince myself that I have. That, we were just going through a phase. But the truth is, I was in denial. I wanted, so _badly _for us to work that I didn't even realise we were already over. I'm sorry but…no."

I shook my head again, moving around her in the direction of my apartment, not turning back, not waiting to hear her response.

I just left.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Took a little longer than I expected to find time to write this... been a busy week. Not sure how happy I am with it, I don't love it, I don't hate it. But you guys are my judge so...there you go..

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I pressed the elevator button cautiously, afraid of who might be waiting on the other side of the double doors once they opened.

It had been two days since my break-up with Erica and I had gotten lucky yesterday when she got called away to pick up a heart in some state that remained undisclosed to me and spent the rest of my shift in surgery, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd have to face her again. But she wasn't the only one I had been avoiding. I ducked and dived in and out of on-call rooms and stairwells to escape Arizona. Not because I had changed my mind about her, but because I hadn't. I didn't want to rush into anything with her, well no, that's a lie, I very much did want to, but I also wanted to show Erica a little more respect than I had done. News of the break up, and events leading up to the break up spread like wildfire around the hospital in a matter of hours, and I felt ashamed at the humility my cheating would cause Erica and really didn't want to make things worse.

The 'ding' of the elevator sounded and my breath caught in my throat as my anticipation peaked. I let out a sigh of relief when the doors opened, revealing an empty cabinet. I enjoyed my solitary ride, knowing that I couldn't avoid reality forever, I'd have to encounter both blondes sooner or later.

Turns out the universe had chosen sooner.

I pushed open the door to the locker room, pausing momentarily, I knew I couldn't run. A lonely figure stood in front of the mirror, taming a few stray hairs that had escaped the confines of her ponytail. Locking eyes with mine in the mirror's reflection, a magnificent smile spread across her features.

"Calliope! I haven't seen you around?" She turned, leaning against the sink, her arms crossed, waiting for me to make words.

"Yeah well, I've been avoiding you." I confessed honestly, a light tone to my voice in fear of her assuming the worst.

She gave an amused chuckle which made analysing her thoughts difficult.

"It's just- Erica and I broke up." I looked at her, searching her face, not sure how I expected her to respond.

"I heard." She admitted, the smile fading from her face as she moved closer to me. "Nurses." _Of course._ "How are you?"

Her voice conveyed genuine concern and my heart melted. I nodded my head.

"I'm fine." It wasn't a lie. I knew I should probably be more torn up about it but truth be told I just felt liberated, like a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

She smiled, obviously catching the truthfulness of my words. "I'm glad."

We stood smiling at each other for a few moment before she broke contact, looking at her feet, her disposition becoming nervous.

"Calliope…" She breathed, looking up to meet my gaze again. I widened my eyes giving her an expectant look. "I… I totally understand if it's too soon or if you… if you just don't want to that's perfectly ok too..obviously…"

"Arizona, you're rambling." I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked when she was flustered.

"Right." She acknowledged, taking a deep breath and standing with more confidence. "Would you like to go on a date with me?"

I couldn't help the giant smile that flashed across my face. This had both been the moment I'd been hoping for _and _hoping to avoid. I wanted nothing more than to go out with her, to spend an entire evening without the looming shadow of guilt or suspicion popping our bubble, but in retrospect, it _was _too soon. Not that I wasn't ready to start dating, I just felt that I should wait a more respectable time before doing so.

"Arizona I…" She took a step closer, closing the distance between us, catching my lips with hers before I had time to respond. It was tender, but meaningful, it made my tummy flutter and my palms grow sweaty, I felt like a teenager having their first real, meaningful kiss. Maybe I was. She pulled away and whispered in my ear,

"Just think about it." And with that she made towards the door.

I didn't move, still riding on my wave of butterflies, until a voice across the room knocked me off my high.

"That looked cosy." My eyes widened and my body stiffened but I managed to turn and face the source of the voice.

"Erica." Was all that I, apparently, could say.

"So, you two are…? What?" Her tone had an air of sarcasm around it but I could tell she was trying to hide the betrayal she really felt.

"It's not what it looked like!" I assured her.

"It's not? Then enlighten me Callie. Because, what it _looked _like was my ex girlfriend doing the rounds of girl surgeons! Was she _that _good Callie that you've gone back for seconds?" Anger rose within me, I understood why she would be angry, but hearing her speak about Arizona as if she were just my play thing was too much to take.

"Don't talk about her like that!" I spoke through gritted teeth. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Her face remained emotionless, "How long has it been going on?"

I looked at her with confusion, "I told you. The night of my birthday we slep-"

"I know what you _did_. I'm asking how long you've been seeing her behind my back? She _is _the reason you left me after all, right?"

"Erica, I left you because I don't love you anymore. I wasn't engaging in some illicit affair!" I couldn't help the rise in my voice, I knew I had been unfaithful but she had basically pushed me to it, this wasn't entirely my fault. "Yes, I like Arizona. Will something happen between us? I don't know. I hope so." I knew admitting it was a low blow but I was putting all my cards on the table, I wanted this done with. "But I wasn't _seeing _her behind your back! I wouldn't do that! I'm not trying to say I'm completely innocent." She scoffed and I proceeded grudgingly. "But neither are you. Our relationship was over long before Arizona came along and that, that's on you! You gave up on us long before I did!"

I could see her eyes darken with rage, she pursed her lips together and walked out. I had hoped our first encounter would go better than that but I guess we were going to take the traditional route of hating each other's guts.

The rest of the day passed without a hitch, no female drama and thankfully, no casualties, all in all, it wasn't an entirely awful day. I happily made my way to the elevator, the same nervous anticipation from earlier rising again. The doors opened to reveal the blonde haired beauty that had plagued my mind all day, I smiled unconsciously, keeping my gaze locked with hers until I had taken position inside. We rode in silence for a few moments, expectant tension building.

"I'd love to." I finally broke the quiet.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I'd love to go on a date with you." I answered as the doors of the elevator opened on my stop.

A super magic smile broke out across her face and a light blush crept onto her cheeks. "Awesome." She nodded as I stepped onto the floor.

"How's, eh, tomorrow?" I enquired. A question she confirmed with a glorious laugh as the doors closed once again.

My phone buzzed.

**[1 new message: Arizona]**

**8-ish? X**

I wasted no time in replying that 8 was perfect.

**Arizona:**

**See you tomorrow ;) x**


End file.
